About The CRPA Foundation

The California Rifle and Pistol Association Foundation was formed in 2004 to help effectuate the goals of CRPA on behalf of its members.

The CRPA Foundation is a tax exempt entity, incorporated under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code and under California law. Contributions to the CRPA Foundation are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. (Consult a tax professional for specific advice on how such contributions may be tax deductible.)

Contributions to the CRPA Foundation are used for the direct benefit of Californians. Funds granted by the Foundation benefit a wide variety of constituencies throughout California, including youth, women, gun collectors, hunters, target shooters, law enforcement, and those who choose to own a gun to defend themselves and their families.

The CRPA Foundation seeks to strike down unconstitutional laws, defend and expand legal recognition of the rights protected by the Second Amendment, promote firearms and hunting safety, protect hunting rights, enhance marksmanship skills of those participating in shooting sports, and educate the general public about firearms in their historic, technological, and aesthetic context.

CRPA and the NRA have been actively litigating California gun owners’ rights cases together for decades. Sometimes, keeping our efforts on your behalf low profile increases our chances of success. But in recognition of the increased need for litigation after the United States Supreme Court’s June 2008 decision in Heller vs. Distict of Columbia affirming the Second Amendment as a fundamental individual right, and the June 28, 2010 decision in McDonald vs. Chicago confirming that the Second Amendment’s protections limit state and local governments from unconstitutionally infringing on the right to keep and bear arms, the primary focus of the Foundation going forward is to fund litigation advocating on behalf of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self defense, hunting, and other purposes.

CRPA is the only California civil rights advocacy group working hand-in-hand and case-by-case with NRA to advance a strategic litigation plan to benefit California gun owners. Only CRPA is coordinating its litigation efforts with NRA’s top notch legal team of firearm lawyers from across the country. Those lawyers have decades of experience litigating Second Amendment civil rights issues. They literally wrote the books on Second Amendment law. That experience and perspective is more critical than ever. Now that we have court rulings confirming that the Second Amendment civil right applies nationally, winning decisions in other jurisdictions can be used as important legal precedent in California. So a national perspective is essential to successful local action. For example, CRPA has been helping support NRA’s Second Amendment challenge to Washington, D.C.’s ban on certain commonly owned semi-automatic firearms so that court’s decision can be used in the inevitable legal challenge planned against California’s nonsensical ban on certain semi-automatic firearms improperly characterized as “assault weapons.” (Click here to see Heller vs District of Columbia II lawsuit).

CRPA Foundation has many cases in the California courts, and plans for many more in the very near future. But California and Ninth Circuit judges are still generally hostile to Second Amendment claims, and are often inclined to take advantage of any weakness in a Second Amendment case. Several bad court decisions have already resulted from inexperienced lawyers filing strategically unwise, ill-timed, or ill-conceived lawsuits, or making ineffective or poorly prepared arguments to the California courts. Look at People v. Flores, People v. James, and People v. Yarbrough for example.

Don’t be fooled by reckless promises. One of the biggest threats to our freedom may actually come from well meaning “loose cannons” who naively think it is easy to win a Second Amendment lawsuit. We don’t need any more bad law. With your help, CRPA Foundation and the NRA can bring the right cases, with the right lawyers, with the right plaintiffs, at the right time.

To a lesser extent, the CRPA Foundation also supports charitable, educational, scientific, and a wide range of firearms-related public interest activities that support and defend the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans. For example, the CRPA Foundation funds Public Service announcements via radio and TV to educate the public regarding firearms safety. CRPA Foundation also publishes and distributes a Summary of California Gun Laws and Basic Gun Safety Rules booklet annually, supports amateur Junior Shooters programs, and develops forums to teach the citizens of California proper hunting techniques that preserve California natural resources and wildlife.

Funding for the Foundation comes from individuals and organizations through tax-deductible gifts, donations, wills, and living trusts. Please help us with these efforts by donating now to the CRPA Foundation. Your contribution to CRPA Foundation will be used to benefit California firearms owners through strategic and carefully planned litigation coordinated with the NRA, to respond on your behalf to the changing litigation environment that will inevitably unfold, and to avoid or minimize the damage that could be done by unwise lawsuits. If you want your dollars spent fighting for the rights and protecting the interests of California firearms owners, the CRPA Foundation is the place to invest.

For more information about the CRPA Foundation’s activities and how you may make tax deductible contributions please contact us: